smiley

adjective

smil·ey | \ˈsmī-lē

Definition of smiley

(Entry 1 of 2)

: having a smile : smiling often smiley kids

smiley

noun

Definition of smiley (Entry 2 of 2)

: emoticon

Examples of smiley in a Sentence

Adjective

She's a very smiley kid.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Up until 1995, most of her modeling jobs required the peppy, smiley spirit favored by teen magazines—a tough image to navigate while still a teenager in suburban New Jersey. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "An Iconic Delia’s Model Remembers the Brand’s ’90s Heyday," 5 Nov. 2018 Two years ago, the smiley gray-and-white pooch disappeared from his home with the Frausto family. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Dog Missing Two Years Reunites with Family After Pet Parents Spot Him on TV Adoption Segment," 6 July 2018 Interestingly enough, kombucha gave me the same slightly smiley temperament—in a good and natural way. — Allison Young, Good Housekeeping, "The Weird Side Effects Of Drinking Kombucha Every Day For A Week," 26 Feb. 2016 Scallops are feminine, but not overly feminine, a great old-fashioned smiley shape. — Lisa Cregan, House Beautiful, "Krista Ewart on Decorating a Cheerful Beach House," 18 July 2010 Over the years, the stumpy, smiley little pooches have appeared with Her Royal Highness in family photos, co-starred in sketches with Daniel Craig and posed with the Queen on the cover of Vanity Fair. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "The Last of the Queen’s Corgi Dynasty Has Died," 18 Apr. 2018 Jack is 13 now — a smiley kid with blond hair and taped-together blue-rimmed glasses — and his family had been anticipating this moment for years. — Eric Boodman, STAT, "‘That’s $425,000 right there’ — the anxious launch of a gene therapy with a record sticker price," 21 Mar. 2018 Jack is 13 now — a smiley kid with blond hair and taped-together, blue-rimmed glasses — and his family had been anticipating this moment for years. — Eric Boodman, BostonGlobe.com, "Gene therapy with record sticker price launched," 21 Mar. 2018 Because anything a famous mom does or posts online becomes an entryway for parental criticism, a smiley picture of North invited lurking critics to accuse Kim of having her infant daughter's eyebrows waxed. — Mariah Smith, Cosmopolitan, "When Did Kim Kardashian Become So Savage? A Sincere Look Back.," 2 Feb. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In the same shot as their great-grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Charlotte and George weren't their usual smiley selves in the main family photo: Bless them! — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince George and Princess Charlotte Look So Moody in Princess Eugenie's Royal Wedding Portraits," 14 Oct. 2018 Selena posted a photo looking happy as ever, laughing with friends (and even wearing smiley-face earrings!). — Leah Thomas, Teen Vogue, "Selena Gomez Posted a Reminder That Instagram Is Not Reality," 22 Aug. 2018 Since 2015, the consortium has had to choose the hues available for the complexions of smileys. — Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, "The Delicate Art of Creating New Emoji," 28 June 2018 There’s a relaxed, string-laden R&B groove with glossy lead guitar from George Benson; the video has the cartoon group’s character 2-D skating around a Los Angeles beach while a smiley Jack Black clowns around and fakes the guitar licks. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: The 1975 Talk About Its Generation, and 9 More New Songs," 1 June 2018 This is the new Hadid, the smiley-faced, not at all bored Hadid. — Shannon Carlin, refinery29.com, "Why Is Everyone Obsessed With Bella Hadid Learning How To Smile?," 14 May 2018 George was seemingly embarrassed about the whole situation, but returned to his outgoing, smiley self in no time. — Rose Minutaglio, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince George and Princess Charlotte Will Be in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding," 16 Apr. 2018 George was seemingly embarrassed about the whole situation, but returned to his outgoing, smiley self in no time. — Rose Minutaglio, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince George and Princess Charlotte Will Be in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding," 16 Apr. 2018 Among the upgrades being rolled out is a high-tech restroom-rating system that includes a touchscreen device for passengers to rate the facilities with a smiley or frowny face. — Andrea Rumbaugh, Houston Chronicle, "Potty upgrades help IAH reach 4-star status," 21 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smiley.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.